Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. My husband and I stayed in town and laid low. We watched movies, ate, slept, ate, spent quality time with friends and family … and then ate some more.

The official countdown is in full effect … I cannot believe that in two weeks time I will be a mommy!

In the grand scheme of things, these nine months went by pretty quickly. Yes, there were weeks that seemed endless and yes, I’m currently complaining about my feet swelling up like balloons and the general discomfort that comes with the end of pregnancy — but all in all the journey has been one that I will never forget. Dare I say … I’m even looking forward to doing it AGAIN?!

Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy these final moments of solitude, but I just want to jump to the part of pregnancy that comes with a baby already!

My four best friends threw me the most perfect baby shower a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful brunch and was so flawlessly planned I don’t think I could have done it better myself! I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of all who attended — we pretty much got everything we could possibly need for our little one, and then some.

I truly don’t think I could have made it through pregnancy without the help and advice of my mommy friends who had babies before me. Everything from baby gear to stretch mark cream — my friends were on it!

So, before I leave you to step into the baby bunker (don’t worry — I’ll be back to update you post-baby), I decided to leave you with a list of my pregnancy must-haves. Please enjoy and feel free to pass along to other mamas!

Favorite Maternity Store: A Pea in the Pod

One stop shopping for all of your changing body needs. I purchased everything from underwear to my little(ish) black dress that I wore to my baby shower (see above photo).

Favorite Maternity Jean: J Brand — Mama J Skinny Jean

These jeans are by far the most comfortable and flattering jeans that I could find. They don’t have a panel on the belly (which I never found to be very comfortable) — instead they have side elastic panels that grow with you so you don’t need to buy multiple sizes.

Favorite Before, During and After Dress: Anything by Rachel Pally

Rachel Pally makes the most comfortable and flattering dresses for women no matter what size you are. I’m wearing one in the nursery photo below. Her gorgeous creations got me through three weddings during my pregnancy and I know I will wear them again post-baby and beyond.

Favorite Body Pillow: My Brest Friend 3-in-1 Body Pillow

This pillow has all the support you need, complete with a wedge for your growing belly. Trust me, this wedge will save your life as your bump gets bigger and heavier!

Favorite Pregnancy Memoir: Exploiting My Baby by Teresa Strasser

I personally LOVED this book. Informative yet beyond hilarious and didn’t scare me the way some of the other books did. You’ll want to be best friends with Teresa by the end of it!

Favorite Pregnancy Book: The Pregnancy Test by Dr. Emily Sikking and Melissa Heckscher

I mentioned this book in my first blog post, but I wanted to give it another shout out. I can’t even tell you how many times I referred to this pregnancy guide. Saved me a few phone calls to my doctor — who actually wrote this book. Great for expectant fathers too!

Favorite Stretch Mark Cream: Basq Advanced Stretch Mark Butter

Great for preventing stretch marks before and after pregnancy. My favorite thing about this cream is that it isn’t greasy and absorbs quickly so I can put my clothes on soon after using it. Smells yummy too!

Favorite Breast Cream: Novena Organic Beauty Breast Cream

Yea you heard me … I’m talking breast cream! Those little/big guys are susceptible to the same marks as your belly, so you can’t abandon them! This one is my favorite because it’s odorless and paraben-free.

Favorite ‘Faux Glow’ Makeup: Benefit Benetint

For those days when your “pregnancy glow” just isn’t happening. I put this rose-scented liquid on my lips and cheeks and instantly look and feel refreshed.

Favorite Hydration Buddy: Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle

This thing didn’t leave my side! It’s super important to stay hydrated when you’re pregnant and this bottle is the perfect portable size. I also love that it’s glass so there’s no icky plastic taste to my water. On days that I was feeling extra crazy, I would add lemon or mint to fancy it up.

I hope you find this list helpful — feel free to add to it and share in the comments section. Maybe my next list will be my favorite baby items?

Until then, you can follow me on Twitter @marlasok or catch me in The Chateau Meroux, which is out now on DVD.

Xo,

– Marla Sokoloff

Well hello there, third trimester!

Just when I thought this pregnancy was moving slower than molasses, week 30 seemed to appear out of nowhere! It feels like just yesterday I was dying for my belly to turn into an actual baby bump and now I feel as if I’m venturing out of the cute preggie phase and catapulting into the just plain GIANT phase.

This phase can be dangerous territory for your friends and family. They will still tell you how beautiful and glowy you are — yet the guy in the checkout line at the market will say, “Holy moly — you are ready to pop!” or my personal favorite: “Wow! Are you expecting twins?”

Now that the official countdown has begun, it seems like there are a million and a half things to do before our little one arrives. Our office has now been converted to a pretty pink (yes PINK!) nursery and most of the furniture is starting to arrive.

Even though my husband was very anti-pink from the get-go — the giddy look on his face when he saw it freshly painted will forever be etched in my mind.

Putting her room together has been my favorite part so far — to think it’s currently an empty space filled with baby essentials, and in just a few weeks there will be this new little person living in it. Truly a surreal and awesome feeling!

Sleeping is starting to become a wee bit uncomfortable and from what others tell me, it will only get worse from here on out. (And then it becomes non-existent right?)

Yes, I purchased the favorite pregnancy pillow that everyone swears by and to be honest — we have developed a pretty intense love/hate relationship. I’m either lugging it around the bed or I wake up in the middle of the night only to find it on the floor.

I just can’t figure out how to make this relationship work! My poor husband is really looking forward to putting my new sleeping partner in storage until the next go round.

I must say, one pregnancy plus that I will surely miss is the kindness of strangers. People open doors for me, hold elevators, and even let me cut in line in the ladies room! Definitely a nice little perk!

As our checklist got shorter, I realized that we forgot to plan the newly popular babymoon getaway. How many of you decided to take one before having your first child? It was something that I was kind of on the fence about, but I knew one last vacation with my husband would be such a fun thing to do.

I truly hate to fly, so we decided to drive to Santa Barbara for a few days of relaxation and spa treatments. It was absolutely perfect. We took those cliché long walks on the beach and got couples massages and I watched as my husband drank fine wine. (And by watched, I mean drooled.)

It was the perfect way to spend our last Thanksgiving as a twosome — next year will be sweet in such a different way and I just can’t wait for it.

Would love to hear about how you got ready for baby or how you spent your babymoon if you went on one! Send me a Tweet @marlasok.

– Marla Sokoloff

Lightning Entertainment, the Santa Monica-based sales, production and distribution company, announced today that it has acquired international sales rights in all media to seven new completed theatrical feature films and will debut the new slate at the upcoming American Film Market. All seven titles will have their first market screenings at AFM, with three key titles making their World Premiere debut: BRAKE, COLUMBUS CIRCLE, and WRATH.

The announcement of the new lineup is part of the company’s ongoing drive to acquire and develop high profile titles that will satisfy demand across all distribution platforms both internationally and in the United States, where the company is expanding its presence as a domestic all rights distributor. For three of the films, BLOODWORK, THE REVENANT and BOY WONDER, Lightning has acquired worldwide distribution rights and will be releasing them in the US through their domestic distribution label, Lightning Media. In the US, Lightning is continuing to expand its extensive reach via its direct VOD and digital release platforms, which it combines with traditional theatrical and home entertainment channels.

The new films span a number of genres from horror to comedy and feature top international stars including Stephen Dorff, Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Selma Blair, Amy Smart, and Giovanni Ribisi.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring this slate of films to AFM for our buyers,” said Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning Entertainment. “The reinvigorated marketplace is looking for compelling stories and cast driven theatrical feature films that will appeal to global audiences and we aim to satisfy that buoyant demand.”

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The story is timeless. It is about loving someone more than anything else. It is about giving up something you love for another person. It is about true love. It reflects the true meaning of the season, which is not about material objects but about caring for someone else even more than you care for yourself.

Marla Sokoloff is adorable as Della. She’s a sparkling character who discovers true love then loses it, only to find it in the end.

This movie is family approved by the DOVE foundation which searches out faith and family films.

* Gift of the Magi DVD
* Studio: Vivendi Entertainment
* Running time: 85 minutes

The DVD will be released on October 18, 2011 and you can pre-order it today at Amazon.com!

Marla Sokoloff’s Blog: I’m Having a Baby Girl!

Please give a warm welcome to our newest celebrity blogger, Marla Sokoloff!

Since audiences first got to know her as Gia on Full House at age 12, Sokoloff has had many memorable TV roles — Jody on Party of Five, Lucy on The Practice, Claire on Desperate Housewives – as well as turns on the big screen in Whatever It Takes, Dude, Where’s My Car? and Sugar & Spice.

Sokoloff, 30, also sings and plays guitar and released an album, Grateful, in 2005.

She wed her husband, music composer Alec Puro, in Nov. 2009 and the couple — plus pup Coco Puro — make their home in Los Angeles. They expect their first child this winter.

You can find Marla on Twitter.

Hello and welcome to my very first pregnancy/baby blog!

I was super excited when PEOPLE.com asked me to contribute to their blogging section because I’ve been a big fan and an avid reader for some time now. I have really enjoyed reading about everyone’s journey and I’m so pleased to be able to share mine (so far!) with you.

I promise to fill you in on the good, the bad and everything in between. I’ll admit, being pregnant for the first time is a little scary, so stay tuned for my many anxieties and neuroses. (Let’s just say … I’m pretty sure my doctor regrets giving me her email address!)

Luckily she wrote an awesome book that I highly recommend for anyone who has a million pregnancy questions. Everything from “Can I dye my hair?” (Yes.) to “Is it safe to visit a volcano?” (No.) It’s called The Pregnancy Test by Dr. Emily Sikking and Melissa Heckscher. I reference it at least once a day. But I digress….

I’m currently 21 weeks along and we recently found out that we are having a … GIRL!

In all honesty, I had no preference in regards to gender; I just wanted the little peanut to be healthy. (Truly — I’m not just being politically correct here.) But I must admit, when I heard that we were having a girl — my heart skipped a beat.

Images of bubblegum pink and sweet little dresses filled my brain and I could hardly stand my excitement! (Side note: If you ask my husband, she will be a tomboy, so we are clearly on different pages as far as her style goes.)

Speaking of my husband … here’s a little background on the both of us:

ME: I’m an actress who has a hard time listing my credits because I’m a little shy about that stuff. Most of you may recognize me and think we went to high school together but I promise you, we didn’t. I just have one of those faces.

I’m so excited to be a first time mom and I’m ready for it all! Spit up, poopy diapers, diaper rash, sleepless nights — BRING IT!

HUSBAND: Alec Puro. Baby daddy and music composer extraordinaire. Some of his credits include Higher Ground, The Art of Getting By, and too many TV shows to list.

We’ve been married for almost two years and are currently in full-on nesting mode. Every weekend it’s a new project around the house. Anyone else experience this??

Fun fact about us: Almost eight years ago, we were set up by the lovely and talented Jessica Capshaw. Hmmm … should we name our daughter Jessi??

DOG: Coco Puro. Our original first-born and the love of my life. Sometimes I look at her and feel awful because I know her life is about to change big time. If anyone has any tips for bringing baby home to an only child/dog, I would love to hear them!

So that’s our little family. I can’t wait to introduce you to our baby girl when she arrives! I really look forward to sharing the rest of my pregnancy with you.

If you need to reach me in the meantime — send me a tweet @marlasok.

– Marla Sokoloff

Marla’s first blog entry

This is the first child for both Marla, 30, and her husband, musician Alec Puro, 36, who tied the knot in 2009. “They don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet,” Lisa tells Life & Style. “They are just so excited.” The actress, also famous for her role as Stephanie Tanner’s bad-girl best friend Gia Mahan on Full House in the early ’90s, married her longtime love Alec in 2009. Prior to her marriage, she was in a five-year relationship with actor James Franco, whom she met on the set of Whatever It Takes in 2000.

Along with her upcoming role as a mother, Marla can also be seen in the upcoming film Scents and Sensibility (release date: TBA) alongside Nick Zano (TV’s What I Like About You) and Ashley Williams (Something Borrowed). Congratulations to Marla and Alec on their expanding family!

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A BIG congratulations to Marla and Alec on this great news!

After their father is charged with swindling investors, Elinor (Ashley Williams) and Marianne Dashwood (Marla Sokoloff) must make their own way in life and love. They struggle to find jobs where being a Dashwood isn’t a strike against them. While Elinor finds work as a janitor at a spa, Marianne works as a copy assistant.

Their struggle to make ends meet–especially so they can help their mother pay for a critical medicine for their younger sister–is lightened by Marianne’s hobby of making scented lotions. One lotion heals aches and pains, which they sell to supplement their resources.

But others want the scented lotion formula, which could be worth a fortune. While Elinor and Marianne try to find love and acceptance, their trust is tested by those scheming to steal the formula. Can they come to a balance of relying on their hearts and sense without losing it all?

Marla Sokoloff (“The Practice”) Guest Stars as Abigail West, One of the Party Guests
Alexa Havins (“All My Children”) Guest Stars as Jessica Thompson, One of the Invitees

“Party Down” — When a tractor-trailer carrying exclusive party guests mysteriously ends up at the bottom of the Hudson River, the CSIs must solve the mystery from the soggy remains, on CSI: NY, at a special time, Friday, Feb. 4 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

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“Gift of the Magi” premieres Thursday, December 16th at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel!